Toys "R" Us Announces New Safety Guidelines

Just got this email from Toys ‘R’ Us in my inbox and thought you’d be interested. I’m normally pretty skeptical about corporate promises like this, but if they implement these changes I’m going to be pretty impressed.

Keep up the good work!

Here’s what Toys “R” Us has to say:

February 15, 2008

A Message From Gerald L. Storch,
Chairman and CEO, Toys”R”Us, Inc.

Dear Valued Guest,

At Toys”R”Us, Inc., kids are central to who we are and to what we do. Our commitment to their safety is non-negotiable. I wanted to share with you today some of the decisive and proactive changes we have made recently to our already rigorous quality assurance standards:

NOTIFICATION TO MANUFACTURERS OF INCREASED QUALITY ASSURANCE STANDARDS AND OVERSIGHT:

We have instructed all manufacturers who produce items for Toys”R”Us, Inc. that products shipped to the company on or after March 1, 2008 must comply with strict new standards, which include:

Significantly increasing the frequency of third-party testing, including each batch of product imported to the United States by Toys”R”Us, Inc.;

Ensuring all product samples submitted for testing are selected by the company’s third-party, certified laboratory;
Date-coding all products;

Applying a more stringent standard of 90 ppm for lead in surface coatings versus the current federal standard of 600 ppm for all products manufactured exclusively for Toys”R”Us, Inc.;

Requiring substrate materials to meet a standard of 250 ppm for lead versus the company’s current standard of 600 ppm for all products manufactured exclusively for Toys”R”Us, Inc.; and

Using lead-screening equipment to conduct company auditing of all products at their point of origin and at various points in the supply chain.

REDUCTION OF PHTHALATES AND POLYVINYL CHLORIDE (PVC) USE:
All manufacturers have been notified that by the end of 2008 juvenile products sold in any Toys”R”Us or Babies”R”Us store in the United States must be produced without the addition of phthalates that have raised concerns about infant safety.

Additionally, as we move closer to our goal of offering PVC-free products, we have already begun replacing PVC and phthalates in juvenile products manufactured exclusively for Toys”R”Us, Inc.

ELIMINATION OF NICKEL-CADMIUM BATTERIES FROM ALL PRODUCTS MANUFACTURED EXCLUSIVELY FOR TOYS”R”US, INC.
We have instructed manufacturers to immediately take steps to eliminate the use of nickel-cadmium batteries from all items manufactured exclusively for Toys”R”Us, Inc. This process is expected to be complete by the end of 2008.

We know that you trust and expect that we will always do the right thing when it comes to the safety of children, and we take that responsibility very seriously. At every turn, we will continue to look for ways to provide the safest shopping environment for the children and families we serve. We love kids and babies – and safety in all we do for them, and for you, is an imperative.